SPYSHOTS: 2016 Proton Saga shows tail light design

Our readers have caught the 2016 Proton Saga again – this time Rachel Ow and Christopher Lim have sent in photos of both the upcoming budget sedan and its bigger sibling, the 2016 Proton Perdana, near the national carmaker’s Centre of Excellence (COE) in Shah Alam.

The images of the Saga hold particular interest as they include a close up shot of the tail lights. It shows a larger, more three-dimensional trapezoidal shape of the lamps compared to the wraparound triangular items on the current Saga. Unlike the FLX, however, this mule looks to have conventional bulbs compared to the former’s LEDs, so it does look to be a slight downgrade from the outgoing model.

Elsewhere, we can see the faster rear windscreen rake that contrasts against the upright look of the current car, along with a C-pillar kink. This sleeker appearance has been accentuated by a shoulder line that slopes upwards towards the rear, as well as the new Iriz-style door handles that are now in line with the aforementioned line.

As for the new Perdana, not much can be gleaned that’s new in our eyes, particularly as we have already seen the finished article in the metal. However, this sighting of what looks like a production-ready model once again confirms that the flagship D-segment sedan is nearing its launch – the order books have already been opened for the car, after all.

In his explanation for his resignation, former Proton chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that the Perdana will be launched later this month. As for the Saga, no launch window has been announced just yet, but it is claimed that it will be unveiled before the end of this year, after the B-segment Persona sedan.

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

Civic and proton buyer are from different income group, but you are right jinggo, once honda come out with new civic, the proton hype will be over, civic and perdana should be in the same price bracket but different size, (c & d) and looking at it, buyer will definately go for civic, not to downgrade proton but they should know where they stand and plan their marketing strategy, timing againts competitor etc… sometimes i just don’t know what the hell the marketing team at proton are thinking (even if they have one) ..hhmmmm… mark my word :)

I hope proton listened to previous customers and reviewers regarding the CVT feel in iriz and improve it in the upcoming saga. The perdana, persona and saga will need to reach consumer’s expectations. Failure will unfortunately spell the end for proton.

nothing special. ugly and will not sell. if MyVi Sedan is launched same time it will be like what happened to Iriz which was killed off by Axia. I am not a fan of P2 but it is obvious what will happen. with our without Bail out Proton is dead. dead until a pro can come and take over and revive it, nit DRB Mismanagers who think they can use the loan to pay their own suppliers and projects rather than proton. Gov knows and this time they cant play play.

The strategy of showing off prototypes on the road is to excite the market. But in the case of Proton, the excitement is no longer exist because the public knows that the launching date is never honored in addition to poor built-up quality of the initial production units. The specification and features may be superior to any other models of its class but turned off by its built-up quality.

Proton’s line up is super messy, and coupled with their poor cost control, no wonder they’re screwed.

They need to define themselves properly, the way other makes did with Corolla, Civic, 3-series, C-class, etc, gen after gen, for decades. This consistency is needed, so people can have familiarity, and can identify the products better.

IMHO, Proton should’ve gone with this :

1. Saga – sedan and hatchback. The Iriz should’ve been called Saga hatchback.

Perdana should never have been conceived, it’s Dead On Arrival. D-segment market is too low volume for Proton to play, and it is, impossible to be profitable. Perodua Nautica failed for the same reason, there aren’t many people who’d pay RM90k for Perodua, not many will pay >RM100k for a Proton. They can afford a Toyota/Honda, they’d get that. Even if it’s a segment smaller, so what? People make choices with budget first, not segment.

The existing Saga door opening mechanism uses the “matchstick” type where u pull up or press down the thin stick to open/close.i was shocked tis type of junk still used…tat alone was the dealbreaker…and the Saga and Iriz in the same segment wat a waste of resources..pls sack the entire clueless management and hire me instead

I thought Saga is a B-segment car. And I thought Persona should be a C-segment car. 25 years in the business, Proton proved that they have no clear idea of the industry they involve in. Old Saga/Iswara, Wira, Persona, Waja, in my opinion are all in the same segment.

Then the next gen of Proton came to this world, Gen.2. When Gen.2 was launched I said ‘WTF??’. Proton looked stupid. They launched the hatcjback first. They usually have sedan version first, then hatchback. But now a hatchback first. When people wanted a sedan version of Gen.2 they said they need to buy Waja if they wanted a sedan.

Looking at the history of the new gen Saga which derived from Savvy, Saga should be a B-segment car. Same goes to Persona, it used to be a Lancer, then derived from Gen.2, it should be a C-segment car. But Proton is so dumb, that they’ve produced a new car in the same segment and gave it a new name Preve which has its hatchback sibling SuprimaS.

Kesimpulannya, Proton ni xde visi, misi and xde goals. Proton x paham apa dia buat. Proto. Juz produce new cars without understanding the local and international market. Now, I’m not sure whether they’ve realized their clumsiness or not, I hope this time around they produce a car in each segment i.e. A+ segment now is Saga, B-segment is persona, C-segment is Preve, D-segment is Perdana. No more 2-3 models of the same segment being offered at the same time.

I love Proton, I’m ashame of Proton and proud of Proton at the same time, and I hope Proton will be here to stay.

Although it’s categorised as a “hatchback”, it’s positioned for the sedan-looking customers (hence the “WRM” moniker). That’s why they have a Neo.

Btw, I do agree that they’ve messed up with their lineup in the past. It’s confusing to choose either Inspira, Persona, Preve, Gen.2, as they’re practically of the same segment. But I do see that Proton already learnt, and ended lots of lineup years ago. But of course the excess stock won’t do them good until some years later.

So now you know why it’s perceived as such although Proton already mulled its earlier perspective. They have a new goal, but their old stock kept haunting them.

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